Match book machine



Dect, l2, 1939. s. E. RAHE MATCH BooK MACHINE Filed March 16, 1958 INVENTOR Samuel 5.19m@

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. l2, 1939 UNITED STATES MATCH BOOK MACHINE Samuel E. Rahe, Springfield Gardens, N. Y., as-

signor to Eerst-Forster-Dixeld Co., New York, N. Y., a. corporation of Maine n Application March 16, 1938, serial No. 196,169

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in match book machines, and particularly to such machines or portions thereof by which match cards are introduced into the enclosing cover therefor.

Objects precision of action and lplacement of the cards- With respect to the cover; to maintain the pre- `cision of placement as long as required in the machine until the cover and cards are stapled or otherwise permanently secured; to enable use of rugged and lasting operating parts; to secure simplicity of construction andl operation; and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Drawing Referring to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View looking down from the side of a machine embodying the features of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a plan of a portion of one bank of match cards and their supports and associated ejecting means; Y

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the card supports; v

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View of one of the card supports sho-wing cards carried thereby;

Figure 5 is a rear view of the said support;

Figure 6 is a horizontal plan with a portion of the upper clip broken away;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the completed match book; and

Figure 8 is an upperedge view of a certain spring for engaging the holder frictionally upon its supporting bar.

Description In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated in said drawing, it will be understood by those familiar with the art that match books or packets of the general type illustrated in Figure 7 have been available on the market for Inasmuch as machines now exist and are well known for preparing the cards, such as the individual units HJ here' shown and slitting the same as at il for providing a plurality of match stems i2 side by side, the rinner ends of which remain integral with the `base i3 of the card and the outer ends of which are spread and dipped in ignitible material to provide the tips Ill, further illustration of such machines is deemed unnecessary. Suffce it to say, that the present invention is a part of that machine in so far as the card or unit receiving and holding means also receives and holds the cards during any of ythe operations described prior to the assembly operation with which the present disclosure is more particularly concerned.

As here shown, I provide a plurality of holders I5 which are advanced continuously or intermittently from the part of the machine performing the mentioned preliminary operation to the part of the machine where assemblying is effected. These holders may conveniently be part of or carried by continuous chains or belts, and in the present ldisclosure are illustrated as arranged in horizontal banks or series in Fig. 2 and the several horizontal series arranged to move simultaneously in a direction transverse to the series, that is, vertically. In Fig. l there is shown one holder of each of several of the horizontal series, so that it will be understood that the holders shown in Fig. 1, are moving vertically downward in operation and that each holder shown is representative of a horizontal bank. of holders at the level indicated. It is to be understood however, that while I refer to horizontal banks of holders and a vertical series of these horizontal banks, in order to assist in the more ready understanding of the particular disclosure, it is not to be understood that I limit myself to a machine wherein the banks of holders must necessarily be horizontal or the forward feeding of the several banks of holders will be in a vertical direction.

Said holders I5 are preferably all of identical ly in groups or banks, say of ten, in a row, by belts or chains I8, the construction of which are of course co-related to the construction of horizontal holder carrying bars 26 (hereafter more fully described) so as to obtain the desired travel of the holder with the belt or chain, and feed the holder through the machine in proper position at all times. From the opposite side of the holder from said stud il the holder projects outwardly to provide a fixed jaw I9, and the construction is preferably such that there is a horizontally fixed jaw i9 at the top of the holder in use and a similar fixed jaw I9 at the bottom of the holder, these jaws being parallel to each other and substantially the width of the card or unit l which is to be gripped. Furthermore, the depth of the said jaws I9, I9 is preferably made to correspond substantially to the depth of the base portion I3 of the card or unit Il). It is intended that each holder shall receive two cards or units, one fiatwise of the lower fixed jaw at the bottom oi the holder and another at the upper .fixed jaw at the top of the holder with both units projecting in parallel relation to each other with the tips I4 of the match stems away from the holder.

In order to grip the units It, a spring jaw 20 is provided below the lower jaw and another like spring jaw 2 is provided above the top fixed jaw I9. The construction of each of these spring jaws is such that an inner portion 2l thereof is in flatwise engagement with the top portion i of the holder and rigidly secured thereat by rivets 22 or other suitable means. Said portion 2l of the spring jaw extends crosswise of the holder but at a distance from each edge of the holder is offset, as at 23, to provide a channel M between the xed jaw and the spring jaw next the side edges thereof. The spring jaw extends at both sides in a direction away from the chain or stud Il' and the side portions of the spring jaws curl upward and are connected by a crosspiece 25 at the front part of the holder thereby enabling the match card or unit le to be slid between the fixed jaw and spring jaw and be gripped by virtue of the resiliency of the spring jaw. The forward edge of the fixed crosspiece 2i and the forward edge of the oiset portion 23 will constitute a stop to limit and position the card upon insertion between the jaws. 1t is to be observed that the spring jaws have cardengaging portions only next the sides of the holders, so the mid-portions of the match cards are not frictionally held. Ultimate ejection of the card from the holder is by a push effective on the card at its portion only in the rear of where the spring jaws are pressing, and therefore introduces no likelihood of splitting the card.

Referring now to Figs. l, 2 and 4, it will be noted that said holders i5 are channeled horizontally hollow and are slidably ositioned upon horizontal bars 2G, each bar supporting the horizontal bank or series of holders. in order to mount the holders in proper position upon the bars, leaf springs 2l are inserted in the holders, the tips 28 of the springs being bent as shown in Fig. 8 to prevent longitudinal displacement thereof from the holders. The midportion of the spring hears resiliently against the bar and obtains ample frictional engagement between the bars and holders to retain the said holders in precise postion to which they are slid in operation upon the bars.

Referring particularly to Figs. l and 2, it will be observed that I provide a horizontally disposed ejector 29 having forwardly projecting blades 30 of proper width to enter the pair of adjacent openings or channels 2li of two adjacent holders. As the ejector moves in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, the forward edges of the blades 30 entering said openings 26 engage the inner edge of the base portion i3 of the several units next the opposite ends of each unit and for as much of the width of the unit as the width of frictional holding by the side or offset portion 23 of the spring jaw 20. Continued forward movement of the ejector therefore will apply even pressure next both ends of the units and will force the units out of the several holders and cause them to fall upon a horizontal ledge or shelf 3|. The machine is preferably constructed so as to first eject the card held by a lower jaw of a holder upon the shelf, and let the card remain upon the shelf until the second card carried by the upper jaw of the same holder is ejected to then rest upon the first card. A stop plate 32 is shown above the shelf at a proper distance forward from the holder to position the dipped ends of the match cards at the desired position upon the shelf, this structure also including a curved overlying guide plate carried by suitable support 3G in front of the guide plate 33 to make it more certain that the cards on the ledge or shelf 3l will be properly arranged or stacked one upon the other with the match tips in juxtaposition. When two sets of cards have been ejected as described, the stop plate 32 is moved upward out of the path oi' the cards to permit their further forward movement through the machine and to the means for covering and packing them. This movement is effected by a suitable arm 35 which freely engages the plate 32 and is attached to a rock shaft the latter having a crank arm 3l suitably actuated in timed relationship to the movement of holder and other parts and not further illustrated in detail because it is so obvious to a mechanic.

Disposed in front of the matches or cards on shelf 3l, and at the opposite side thereof from stop plate 32 from the match cards, and perpendicular to the horizontal disposition of the shelf, is a chute having a portion 38 thereon above the shelf and a lower portion 39 aligned with the upper portion and situated below the shelf. This chute receives by gravity or otherwise a fiat cover blank lid. A new blank is dropped or fed into the chute for each pair of match cards as fast as assembly of one pair of match cards and its cover blank is effected. The assembly is obtained by lever S lifting stop plate 32 after the match cards are on the shelf, and by a finger il on a lever l2 sliding the match cards forwardly toward the cover blank F25. It will be observed that the shelf Si is slotted as at from its edge next the holders toward its edge next the chute, and finger il is normally retracted to a position toward the holders so that the match cards fall upon the shelf in front of finger Iii. Lever i2 is under actuation of sultably timed mechanisms to move toward the chute immediately upon stop plate lifting, and thus the pair of match cards will be slid forwardly together at the proper time, after which the lever 42 and nger 4i retract to position shown in Fig. l ready for another pair of match cards. It is further to be understood, that there are as many chutes, levers, fingers, and slots for the fingers as there are holders in a horizontal bank. The fingers Il are preferably centrally disposed with respect to the respective match cards and holders between the side edges thereof so as to propel the match cards without any tendency of the cards deviating from straight line forward movement.

It is now to be observed that as match cards IS are slid forwardly by ringer M, that they engage at their tip ends against a midportion of the cover blank 40, and the pressure exerted by the lnger llI will suffice to bend the blank where engaged by the match tips and thus disposes top and bottom portions of the blank across the pair of match cards to constitute the top and vbottom of the final cover. 'I'he ultimate bending of he lower end margin 44 as shown done in Fig. '7, is accomplished at a later time and by mechanism not here shown. Likewise, the application of a staple l5 through the bent over end margin lill, the base end I 3 of the match cards and the lower or back portion of the cover Il@ is likewise later accomplished by other means not here shown.

When the match cards Iii are pushed forward against covers 48' as described, the partially formed covers and the several groups or units of cards are pushed between and grasped by gripping jaws 45 and 41 which may conveniently be part of a conveyor d8 which moves transversely of the feed up to this point. That is, the movement of the partly made books'in after engagement by jaws 46, lil of this second conveyor 48 is transverse-to the travel of the holders I or dipping carriers I8 at this point. The movable jaw 4'! of each gripper is pivoted at 4g to the xed jaw, and the jaws are normally closed by a spring 5B interposed at the far side of the jaws between the same. The pairs of jaws have the same spacing on the conveyor [i8 as the spacing of the holders I5 on their bars 25. The conveyor must have an intermittent movement, being at rest when lever 52 and finger flI force the assembled cards and covers between the jaws, afterv which the conveyor moves on to present a new group of jaws opposite the several holders I5 of the next bank as that bank discharges its cards upon shelf SI.

Briefly reviewing the operation and with particular attention to Fig. l, it will be understood that individually formed units or cards of prepared matches arrive at the part of the machine involved in the present invention already positioned in holders I5, there being two cards in each holder but each card being held by a distinct gripping means, one at the bottom of the holderand the other at the top of the holder. The holders move downward at regular intervals and as each card comes to a position somewhat above shelf 3i, ejector 29 moves forward with the several blades 30 thereof entering the channels or openings 2li of two adjacent holders, thereby forcing all of the cards of one bank of holders simultaneously onto shelf 3| in the precise spacing thereof as determined by the spacing of holders I5 on the bar 25 for that particular bank. The ejector 29 thereupon retracts and the cards carried at the upper part of the same holder move down into the plane of thel ejector which again moves forward and ejects a second set of cards in like manner, causing them to fall in juxtaposition upon the first set of cards on the shelf. Ejector 29 then retracts ready to similarly eject the next set of cards from the next holder when it comes into proper position. In the meantime, however, a cover 40 has dropped down chute 38, 39 resting upon a stop 5I, and blade 32 at the tip end of the matches which has assisted in accurately positioning the match cards, rises and as the cards move forward they engage the midportion of said cover, bending the cover around the match tips, thus being forced with the match cards between jaws d5, ril. The accurate placement of the cards upon the shelf and the necessarily accurate placement of the cover in its chute results in the accurate assembly of the cards within the cover, it being usual practice for the cover, te be slightly wider than the match cards. 'Ihe construction and operation is one which enables the cards to be centrally disposed between the side edges of/the cover and in such position they are forced together into the receiving jaws which retain the parts in the precise relationship indicated while further bending and stapling is effected in other parts of the machine not here shown. All of the moving parts of the machine are inter-related by gears, chains or otherwise so as to maintain a precision of operation and timing, as will be understood by persons skilled in the art. This timing ofthe movement of the several parts includes the intermittent travel of conveyor d8 carrying jaws 46, el by which these jaws are moved along in groups say of ten at a time, to correspond to the similar grouping of ten holders for each bank of holders. In other words, the holders may be arranged in banksgof ten, the cover chutes likewise in banks of ten, the advancing fingers 4I in banks of ten thereby assemblying ten pairs of cards and their respective ten covers at one time and inserting all ten simultaneously between ten pairs of jaws. Then, as the next `bank of holders advances to discharge its cards upon the shelf the receiving conveyor it moves along to present ten more unoccupied pairs of jaws in position to receive the next group of cards and covers. I do not confine the invention, however, to assemblying ten books at a time, as the machine may be constructed or employed for assemblying more or less than that number at one time.

I claim:

1. In a match book machine, a holder for match cards comprising a body portion having a yieldable member at one face thereof, said yieldable member forming means at opposite edges of the body portion for gripping the match card at its edges and with the gripping means out of contact from the match card intermediate said edges, said gripping means being rearward'- ly open for receiving an extruding means for the match card at the part of the card which is gripped whereby the card may be extruded by a direct push at the part thereof which is gripped and thereby avoid breaking the card while being extruded from the holder.

2. In a match book machine, a holder for match cards comprising a body portion having yieldable members at opposite faces thereof, each said yieldable member forming means at opposite edges of the body portion for gripping the match card at its edges and with the gripping means out of contact from the match card intermediate said edges, each said gripping means being rearwardly open for receiving an eX- truding means for the match card at the part of the card which is gripped whereby the card may be extruded by a direct push at the part thereof which is gripped and thereby avoid breaking the card while being extruded from the holder.

SAMUEL E. RAHE. 

